I have an alter ego that lives on Pepperdine University's Malibu Island in Second Life, where we explore using virtual worlds for collaborative learning. I work on my dissertation on a nice burl desk, sitting outside the coffeehouse, facing the ocean. I have a cat, Noir, who keeps me company, but she does insist on sitting on whatever I'm working on.

We have a place for each group of students (every year, another group, or "cadre," enters the program). The groups can design or adapt their own hang-outs with my help, so we have some unique structures. One cadre has a hobbit house nestled at the foot of the Pepperdine mountains. Although it looks quite rustic, there are two levels inside. One is a hangout for the group, with their classroom, and the upper level is for studying, with a separate faculty office.

There are shared public places: for example, the Malibu Island Coffeehouse. My friend Santi and I often meet there, to talk about Second Life and some of the activities. For example, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) student group meets on Second Life. But they have their own place to meet, the coffeehouse is for informal socializing.

My own cadre, Cadre X, entered the program in 2004. We completed our comps in 2006, and about half of us graduated the summer of 2008. (I'm aiming for graduation in 2009). We have a group of students who get together (the "DissertationX Therapy Group" ) to help each other out with moral and intellectual support.